Photo: Ford
No change is painless, and the transition to the EV era means some tough decisions must be made. Ford might have to close two of its long-running plants in Europe to streamline its operations for the new challenges ahead.
Ford already undertook significant changes to its European operations that had some less profitable vehicle lines abandoned. This came with thousands of jobs lost and six plants closed across the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the Czech Republic to make up for the fledgling sales. It seems the bad news continues in 2022, and the Dearborn carmaker prepares to shutter two more assembly facilities in Europe.
It is a painful but necessary decision given the reduction in volume and the difficult economic climate. Reports from Germany and Spain show Ford is evaluating its plants in Saarlouis and Valencia. It seems the company’s management is in talks with the union officials at both plants to determine the viability of each operation. A decision is expected by this summer, although Ford officials declined to comment.
“Aligned with our ambition to drive the future of mobility in Europe and become a leading manufacturer of fully connected, electric vehicles, we are continuing to transform our industrial operations, but we have nothing further to communicate at this time,” the company said in a statement cited by The Detroit News.
Ford has embarked on a journey to electrify most of its European vehicle lineups by 2030. The plant in Cologne (Germany) will see a $1 billion investment push to turn it into an EV manufacturing center. The first electric car from the production line would be using the Volkswagen MEB platform, starting next year.
Ford previously announced EV transition plans for most of its European plants but left Saarlouis and Valencia out in the cold. At the moment, no all-electric vehicles are planned at either plant, which might indicate Ford already made decisions and is now preparing to put them into writing. It doesn’t help that electric cars use far fewer parts than their internal combustion engine equivalents and are also less labor-intensive to produce.
It is a painful but necessary decision given the reduction in volume and the difficult economic climate. Reports from Germany and Spain show Ford is evaluating its plants in Saarlouis and Valencia. It seems the company’s management is in talks with the union officials at both plants to determine the viability of each operation. A decision is expected by this summer, although Ford officials declined to comment.
“Aligned with our ambition to drive the future of mobility in Europe and become a leading manufacturer of fully connected, electric vehicles, we are continuing to transform our industrial operations, but we have nothing further to communicate at this time,” the company said in a statement cited by The Detroit News.
Ford has embarked on a journey to electrify most of its European vehicle lineups by 2030. The plant in Cologne (Germany) will see a $1 billion investment push to turn it into an EV manufacturing center. The first electric car from the production line would be using the Volkswagen MEB platform, starting next year.
Ford previously announced EV transition plans for most of its European plants but left Saarlouis and Valencia out in the cold. At the moment, no all-electric vehicles are planned at either plant, which might indicate Ford already made decisions and is now preparing to put them into writing. It doesn’t help that electric cars use far fewer parts than their internal combustion engine equivalents and are also less labor-intensive to produce.
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